Volume 5 - CH 78.1

Little Girl

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

Lin Qin is also poking his head out to stare at the dead-end of the collapsed stairs expressionlessly.

Wu Jian is murmuring, “looks like the stairs is the wrong way forward… Or not, since the path is safe from the 36th to the 9th floor… Though whether the stairs would remain safe after the Nightmare starts crumbling is a whole other matter…”

He appears pretty conflicted right now.

As a Missiontaker from the higher floors, he’s at least got the basic wit you’d expect of such.

When Nightmares go into further runs, there will be more information, but there may also be unpredictable circumstances Missiontakers have to face. The question is always, whether to get it dealt and done with, or to collect more information above all else.

Though Wu Jian abandons the question soon enough, throwing it to Lin Qin instead with, “dalao, are we still going downwards? I might not be able to make it back up if we do…”

He knows about the rumours surrounding Lin Qin’s intelligence, of course, but he thinks that’s nonsense. In the short period of time he has spent walking down the stairs with him, he did not see any signs of such.

In the end, rumours have always been speculations made in jealousy or in malice.

Although, going by the rumoured physical prowess Lin Qin possessed, he’d probably be able to make it down the collapsed stairs easily.

As the one dragging him back here, he raises the question first, stating that he won’t be able to make it back up – implying that Lin Qin would never have a problem with that.

Lin Qin gives him a glance and leaves him with a simple “wait here, I’ll check it out.”

Then he leaps forth before Wu Jian can even react. His mouth only opens wide when he hears Lin Qin land on the next safe piece of rubble without a yelp. He pokes his head out over the side with his widened eyes peering downwards.

It’s dark, and he can’t see anything.

Wu Jian is worried, both for Lin Qin and himself.

At the same time, the viewers in the stream, alongside Xü Beijin, has also witnessed the feat.

“!!! woah the little apple is amazing!”

“he just went and gone like poof”

“cough cough, what do you mean poof, he just jumped!”

“He jumped, yes, but I feel like… He won’t be able to make it past the rubble…”

“i think the detective dalao is right!”

Xü Beijin is looking at the comments but not saying anything.

When Lin Qin jumped, he couldn’t help but knit his brows, which only loosens slightly when he reassures himself that Lin Qin is seriously physically capable.

Although he is still thinking he should remind Lin Qin to keep safety in mind in the future.

He can be powerful, sure, immensely so, but he still can’t just be reckless about it. What if he did mess up one day?

The troubled Xü Beijin can’t help but smile bitterly. He sure is getting worrisome.

Growing softer once again, because he has been on the receiving end of Lin Qin’s worries himself, huh…

He sighs inside.

From the stream, it is clear that bricks and stones have blocked off the space down under where the stairs collapsed. It is very likely any stairs down there have collapsed as well instead of remaining intact. At least, light from sources like the emergency exit sign isn’t making it through at all.

In any case, the camera focusing on Lin Qin is already in night-vision mode now, rendering his figure grey.

Not that that is concealing Lin Qin’s agile, dexterous form any. Barely ever stopping, occasionally adjusting his form when he is searching for the next safe ledge to stand on – the aesthetic combining speed and strength, and the foreboding sense watching someone dancing about danger, worrying about a slip of the foot, makes Xü Beijin hold his breath subconsciously, while watching Lin Qin’s silhouette intently.

Soon enough, Lin Qin reaches the end.

He is standing on a slab of concrete which is snapped in the middle, as he watches the scene in front of him with furrowed brows.

The collapsed rubble of the stairs have blocked the way down entirely. Even if Lin Qin can clear the rubble out, there is no telling how long it would take.

He glances over at the chipped paint on the wall, to see that this is the 5th floor already. He has managed to leap four storeys down, but there is no way downwards.

Lin Qin is standing there quietly for a few seconds. While the stream under the night vision cannot show his expressions in exceptional detail, but Xü Beijin swears he can paint the frustrated and irritated look he must have on his face right now.

… Xü Beijin breaks into a sudden grin as he leans back onto his chair, still keeping his eyes on Lin Qin.

Oh, this little apple.

Lin Qin is certainly frustrated and irritated right now. After standing there quietly for a few seconds, he starts rolling his sleeves up.

So finding the owner of the Nightmare and then dispatching them would be more convenient.

He makes the decision almost instantaneously, and then quickly heads back to the 9th floor. Even if he is Lin Qin, though, it still takes him a while to return upwards.

The unstable pieces of concrete that might fall over at any time has added difficulties to his manoeuvre.

When he is back on the platform for the 9th floor, he looks at the white stains formed on his palms, and recalls the effort he spent on this little excursion, to estimate the possibility that other Missiontakers can explore down there.

… Hm. Zero it is, basically.

Just like what Wu Jian said, he might be able to make it down there, but there is no way he can make it back up.

Lin Qin tells Wu Jian his conclusion and what he saw down there among the rubble of the stairs.

Wu Jian looks quite distressed to hear that, and he quickly asks, “what about the doors of those floors?”

Lin Qin says, “they are all completely blocked shut; also, the numbers identifying the floors are either blocked or have collapsed. Only seven was still visible in the middle.”

There is visible cold sweat drenching Wu Jian’s clothes.

In the stream, the viewers ask, curious, “whats wrong? why is his reaction so intense?”

Xü Beijin explains, “Lin Qin can still make it back up there, but none of the other Missiontakers can. This means that, if other Missiontakers went down to check during the first run, the most likely outcome is them getting stuck there.

Until… the three hour time limit runs out, the building collapses, and they are trapped in the rubble, until someone dies, or if no one else did, then until they die of blunt trauma, suffocation or hunger, when the Nightmare restarts.”

“!!! the damned scriptwriters, man!”

“so the little apple has helped the others avoid a big pitfall here”

“hard to imagine how much fear they would feel if theyre trapped totally in the dark down there…”

“Besides what Beibei said, there is another thing to take into account. If the doors to the stairs are all blocked shut down there, and most of the numbers indicating the floor is unreadable, then if the Missiontakers took the elevators to reach a lower floor, then they would be unable to confirm their actual floor through the emergency stairs.

In other words, from the 9th floor down, there is no way for them to know which floor they are on.”

“oof, then theyre totally lost?”

“if there’s an elevator that goes from the ninth to first floor directly… never mind, I’m just joking [bye emoji]”

The comments quickly turn to focus on Xü Beijin’s handsomeness instead.

Only the detective dalao is still worried, going, “This feels like it’s hiding another trap still… Beibei did say three hours is the time it takes for the building to collapse completely.

Looking at the stairs though… would small-scale collapses happen during these three hours?”

Xü Beijin’s pupils dilate slightly, but he merely smiles and does not speak.

The detective dalao “…”

Yup. Got it.

The detective dalao starts praying for the pitiful Missiontakers, wishing that they would not end up the unfortunate squashed sandwiches under a collapsing ceiling.